The Call of Jeremiah is depicted in this 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld.
Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him? says the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:24.
With this verse from the Bible God makes an impressive statement about Himself: His eyes miss nothing on earth. What could never be said of any creature, whether men or angels, is true of God, or hiding from Him will not succeed. In the hearts of the sinful the thought of an omniscient God can only arouse fear. That is why they try to hide from Him, as Adam and Eve did in the garden of Eden after disobeying Him (cf. Genesis 3:8).
There is not a place on earth, and indeed in the entire universe, where God cannot observe us or where He is not present. David expressed this effectively in a psalm: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there (Psalm 139:7.8).
By contrast, God’s omniscience and omnipresence no longer fill His children with horror. They know that their sins have been forgiven on the ground of Jesus’ work of redemption at the cross. The fact that God sees them is a great comfort to them, for God has become their Father through Jesus Christ, and He never loses sight of them. God’s children rejoice that His eyes “run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong” on their behalf (2 Chronicles 16:9). He uses His unlimited, divine power in their favour.
Image: By Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld – Die Bibel in Bildern, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5490769